Wedding Dress
by mayuralover
Summary: Marinette is trying on wedding dresses. It was a happy day for her. It should have been a happy day for her. (Misleading genre, there is no comfort)
1. Wedding Dress

**Wedding Dress**

* * *

I don't own Miraculous.

Abbreviations:  
Mademoiselle – Mlle.  
Monsieur - M.

* * *

Marinette stepped out of the dressing room to stand in front of the triple mirrors at the Gabriel Bridal Boutique. In just a few short weeks would be the happiest day of Marinette's life, a day she had been dreaming of for as long as she could remember-her wedding day.

"Oh Marinette, you look gorgeous! Spin around!"

Marinette winked at Alya's reflection in the mirror and began to turn, laughing when the skirt flared out and she started to get dizzy. "Hold on girl, don't fall!" Alya said, steadying the bride as their giggles subsided. "But you do look gorgeous, Marinette; I'm so happy for you, girl."

"Thank you, Alya, I'm really happy, too," Marinette said, blushing as she turned back to the mirror.

"But seriously, being Gabriel Agreste's top designer has its perks!" Alya exclaimed. "You get to wear one of his dresses, free of charge! Though the added publicity isn't too bad, either."

Marinette nodded and glanced at the top of the mirrors where Gabriel's logo was engraved into the surface. Having landed her dream job as a designer in the Agreste House, she had proved her worth and talent and became one of Gabriel's closest designers, sharing tips and advice to push both designers to their limits; they showed Paris and the world how great their clothing was. When Marinette announced that she was engaged, Gabriel took it upon himself to give her a token of his appreciation and an early wedding gift, a pick at any one of his bridal gowns.

On her third dress, Marinette smoothed her hands over the fabric and admired the lace detailing on the bodice. Before putting on the dress, she noted its color, whisper pink, and agreed with Alya that the touch of pink would bring out her natural skin tone and it really did seem to make her glow.

 _Sniff._

"Oh Maman..."

"Mrs. Cheng..."

"Oh don't mind me, girls, just- it's just that seeing Marinette in a wedding dress..." Sabine dabbed a handkerchief to the corner of her eye and smiled. "My baby girl is growing up so fast."

"I feel you, Sabine, I do," Alya closed her eyes and nodded in contemplation. "It seems like just yesterday when I watched you sputter and stutter and blush in front of your crush-"

"Alya!" Marinette hissed and playfully slapped Alya's shoulder. "But I did get over it! I wouldn't be trying on wedding dresses now if I hadn't!"

Sabine smiled and said, "Now, now, you two. Marinette dear, how is this dress?"

"Honestly, I think I'm in love with this one. I couldn't have designed a better dress for myself, Maman, Alya." Marinette spun around to the mirror and looked over the dress again. Its sweet heart cut of the bodice hugged her torso and the A Line skirt hung from her hips in a way that shaped her frame beautifully. Marinette adjusted the veil on her head and said, "I think this is the one, you two."

"You can never have too much pink, huh?" Alya grinned.

"Whisper pink, Alya," Marinette said, giggling.

"The A Line looks wonderful on you, but I personally like the second one myself; the ball gown style makes you look like a princess."

A flicker of a shadow passed over Marinette's face before she gave a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Well, I-"

A knock on the suite made Marinette stop in the middle of her sentence. "Excuse me for interrupting, Mlle. Dupain-Cheng," said a bridal consultant as she walked into the room. The three women turned to face the fourth.

"Ah, yes?" Marinette asked.

"I wanted to remind you that Monsieur Agreste wants you to pick a dress that would coordinate well with the colors that the bridegroom will be wearing," the consultant said.

Marinette nodded, "Oh, yes, I know. Unfortunately, my fiancé isn't here, but he will be wearing a black tux with a spring green waistcoat. And having the groom seeing the bride in her dress before the wedding is bad luck, isn't it?"

"Not to worry, Mlle., M. Agreste has sent a model here in order to better compare the dress you have chosen with that of his outfit. Is this your dress, or do you need more time?"

Marinette looked at Sabine and Alya and nodded. "Yes, this is the dress. Is the model already dressed as the groom?"

"Yes, I will send him in shortly," the consultant said, walking back out the suite to call on the model.

"Oh, this is so exciting, girl! I knew this would be THE dress! Let me just take some pictures!" Alya said, scrambling to unlock her phone.

Marinette laughed as the shutter of Alya's camera phone sounded away, and she pulled her mother up on the dais with her. "Maman, you too!"

"Oh no, dear, I'm not dressed for the part!" Sabine exclaimed.

"Nonsense!" Marinette said, making silly poses and laughing so loudly that she didn't hear the knock from the person on the other side of the door. The door opened and, still laughing, Marinette turned to see the model enter the room. Immediately, she stopped to stare at the person. Under the light of the boutique, his golden hair still shined as if he were standing beneath the sun's rays; his eyes still sparkled green like tree leaves in spring.

The room was quiet until he broke the silence. "Hi, Marinette," said Adrien Agreste.

"...Adrien," Marinette breathed.

A palpable tension settled on everyone in the room and was only broken when the consultant walked back into the room with a camera. "Now if you would step onto the dais with Mlle. Dupain-Cheng, M. Agreste," she said, showing him towards the dais.

"Please, it's just Adrien; my father is M. Agreste," Adrien replied.

Alya and Sabine shuffled to move away from the mirrors and let the consultant move the two into position. Marinette tried her hardest to look everywhere except at Adrien. The quickening pace of her heart just emphasized the ever decreasing distance between their two bodies.

"Mlle. Dupain-Cheng, please lift up your head."

"Marinette," Adrien whispered, and her breath slightly hitched when she heard him say her name. "This will be over sooner if you just bear with me a little."

Marinette nodded and finally lifted her eyes off the floor to look at the mirrors and take in the sight before her. She almost cried out at the picturesque couple before her; her expression didn't betray the turmoil she felt inside. But his eyes. Anyone would be a fool not to see the longing in his eyes. But it was far too late for either of the two to do anything about it.

The pink in her dress brought more attention to the contrasting color of her blue eyes while the spring green of his waistcoat accented his eyes; what a vision they were in pink and green.

"Turn around please, you two. I need a picture for M. Agreste." The consultant snapped a few photos from different angles before she was satisfied. "You chose beautiful wedding colors, Mlle. Dupain-Cheng. I believe that even without seeing you two in person, M. Agreste will agree that this dress is perfect for you. You may go change now, Adrien. Mlle. Dupain-Cheng, I will also have this dress, as well as the veil, ready for you to pick up at a later date."

The two nodded and Adrien stepped off the dais first, offering a hand for Marinette to take. Marinette knew that things would be even more awkward if she refused to take his hand-this is a friendly encounter, friends do this for each other! - but she couldn't help how her hand shook as she grasped his hand and took a step down.

"You look beautiful, Marinette, and congratulations again," Adrien said, a soft smile on his face. Raising the hand he still held up to his lips, he laid a small kiss upon her knuckles, a whisper of promises left unsaid.

"Thank you...Adrien...," Marinette whispered, eyes shining with tears unshed.

"Alya, Sabine, I'd love to stay and chat, but I have prior engagements to attend to," Adrien said.

Alya nodded and gave Adrien a hug, saying, "Yeah, let's catch up soon, Adrien. All four of us."

"Please stop by the bakery soon, dear," Sabine said, sweeping Adrien into a warm hug.

"Of course." With a nod to them all and one last look at Marinette, Adrien left the room.

"Marinette?" Alya asked. She put a hand on her shoulder and turned Marinette towards her. "Are you okay, girl?"

Marinette quickly wiped away the tears from her eyes, but it was useless to hide them from her best friend and mother. "Um, yeah, I'm alright. I'm good. I just-I have to go change out of this now. Excuse me." Marinette made a quick getaway back to the dressing room, but Alya and Sabine just sighed sadly.

Alya glanced back at her phone screen, zooming in to look at the expressions on Marinette and Adrien's faces. The consultant had positioned them close together and Marinette's slightly pale face accentuated the sadness she couldn't hide in her blue eyes. Meanwhile, Adrien had kept a straight face, but leaned his head closer to Marinette's, as he always did when they posed for pictures together. Alya decided to save the photo-for nostalgia or something else, she didn't know.

* * *

Marinette closed the dressing room door with a broken sigh; she had gotten her act together for so long, not one thought of if only had slipped through, but one look into Adrien's eyes and her resolve had crumbled. Marinette took off the veil and slipped out of the wedding dress, hanging it up again to keep it from getting wrinkled. She stared at the beautiful piece, but it just seemed too blinding right then, so she closed her eyes and leaned against the door, sliding down until she sat on the floor. She had wiped away her tears in front of Alya, but she couldn't stop the ones that trickled out of her eyes now. There she sat, in front of her wedding dress, crying for what could have been, crying for things too late to fix, asking herself one thing: weren't wedding dresses supposed to be a sign of happiness? If so, then why did it break her heart all over again?

* * *

Author's Note: So I say I don't like angst and hurt and whatnot, and then I come up with this. Yeah, I hope you cried as much as I did while I was writing this and sketching a little! I'm horrible, I know DX This was planned as a oneshot, though my beta has expressed that it would be nice to see Adrien's POV. Perhaps if this gets enough attention, then I'll write a little something for Adrien. Thanks for reading this story, and I hope you have a nice day!


	2. Wedding Suit

"Father, what did you need to discuss with me that had to be done in person and not over the phone?"

"Adrien, is that any way to talk to someone you haven't seen in over a month?" asked Gabriel Agreste. Adrien raised an eyebrow at his father, but silently agreed that he wasn't so busy as to refuse to meet with his father every so often. Over the years, Adrien had broken free of his father's grasp on him, and he was no longer at his beck and call. With those years of distance, the two had built a stable relationship of father and son. But to be honest, the real bridge between the two men was Marinette. Kind and hardworking Marinette was a people pleaser and getting Gabriel's approval was no different than any other time in her life. Marinette gained increasing favor in Gabriel's eyes not only by bringing him closer to his son, but by rising on her own talent for designing. Perhaps that was part of the reason why they were where they are now; Marinette was too kind and he didn't want to hurt her anymore.

"Adrien," Gabriel said, snapping his son out of his reverie.

"Uh, yes, Father?" Adrien asked.

Gabriel let out an inaudible sigh and said, "I wanted to talk to you today because, as you know, Marinette will be getting married soon."

Adrien narrowed his eyes and glanced to the side. "Yes, I know that."

"Well, I have decided to gift her with one of my bridal gowns, and she agreed that along with the wedding planning and the many other arrangements she is dealing with, she would not have enough time to design her own dress."

"Where are you going with this?" Adrien asked.

"Patience, Adrien. I would like to be able to assist Marinette in choosing the perfect gown and make sure it coordinates well with the colors she has chosen. Unfortunately, I will not be free on the date she has chosen. There is one more predicament this poses. You know that is it considered bad luck for the groom to see the bride in her wedding dress before the wedding ceremony. So in order to make sure the groom's waistcoat goes well with the dress she choses, I want you to model the groom's clothes."

"Model with Marinette? Father, I don't think that's such a good idea!" Adrien exclaimed. This was why his father wanted to talk to him? To act as a substitute groom and model with Marinette? "I'm sorry, but I don't think I wil be able to do that."

"Adrien, would you rather I ask someone who is a complete stranger to Marinette to do what I've asked of you? I know that there is history between you two, but I ask that you put that aside and be the friend you always insist you are to her. If not as a favor to me, then think of this as a gift to her, to relieve her of some of the stress she is undoubtedly feeling." Gabriel said.

Adrien ran his fingers through his hair and sighed; his father knew how to words things in favor. But, Adrien admitted, even if he voiced that he wouldn't do this, there was almost nothing he would say no to that had to do with Marinette. She still held a place in his heart, and she wasn't going to be leaving soon.

"Perhaps this will be the closure you need," Gabriel added.

"Closure? Father, I don't know what you are-"

"Stop, Adrien," Gabriel said, standing up and looking Adrien straight in the eye. "No matter how long it has been since I have seen you, it is still pointless for you to try to hide your feelings for Marinette from me. She has affected us both in ways we may have never imagined, and perhaps it was wishful thinking to believe that she and you would wed, but that time has past, and we need to move on. Adrien, do this for yourself."

Adrien closed his eyes and mentally counted to five. His father giving him a lecture on love was not what he planned on listening to today, but Gabriel was right; even though he still held feelings for Marinette, for him to move on, he needed to do this. "I'll do it."

Gabriel nodded and said, "You are making the right decision, Adrien. I'll forward you the details, but the gist of it is that you show up, wear what the groom will be wearing, and stand next to Marinette in her wedding dress."

Adrien nodded. "Okay. I can do that; it'll be just like modeling again."

* * *

He was wrong, it would not be 'just like modeling again.' Modeling did not make him nervous the night before and make him want to heave his stomach the morning of. Modeling did not make him think about the life decisions he had made, make him relive memories, and ask questions of why things happened the way they did.

Adrien flopped onto the couch in his apartment and looked up at the ceiling with a sigh. Since Alya and Nino had become a couple in high school, it naturally meant that the four friends would be around each other more often. Because of this, he and Marinette had gotten to know each other more and got along much better than when they first met. With time, her stuttering had dwindled and Adrien could act like his goofy, punny self around her. By graduation, the two also became official-with some amount of money exchanging hands because of a bet only Adrien and Marinette did not know about-and their love was only beginning to grow.

University was their first big obstacle. Not being around each other as often led to some loneliness, but the two were able to manage. Coordinating class schedules was doable and surprise visits just made the time they did spend with each other that much more special. After a late night of design projects, Marinette was overjoyed to see Adrien come by with a cup of coffee and some of her parents' baked goods, and Adrien loved telling Marinette about the classes he student taught at, joking about how old he felt compared to the high schoolers he taught physics to.

After they graduated-Adrien with a teaching credential under his belt and Marinette with a job already lined at the Agreste fashion company-they thought that their lives were finally falling into place. Instead, Adrien decided to pursue a master's degree along with teaching at a high school, and Marinette's first few years were spent dipping her feet into the industry-real life was quite different from what she had imagined it to be, and even though she was on friendly terms with Gabriel, that didn't make her workload any lighter.

If anything, the two saw less of each other and their plans of moving into an apartment with each other became less of a guarantee more of a forgotten promise between the two. Now when he thought about it, Adrien couldn't believe that a solid career and steady income that would help to sustain the two in the future would be their downfall. Hardworking was one of their virtues and it became their weak link, as well.

One night, after an evening out to relax and catch up, they realized that they were constantly thinking about work and not each other; they no longer felt that warm, familiar spark when they looked at each other. A romantic relationship between the two wasn't going to work out. Thus, they parted on friendly terms. Adrien always had a lingering regret, though. _If only I had put in more work towards our relationship_ , he thought. _If only I paid more attention to the fact that we were drifting apart._

 _If only._

* * *

Adrien arrived at the Agreste Bridal Boutique at eleven in the morning. He was informed by his father that Marinette would be there at 10 o'clock and that he should give her at least an hour to try on a few dresses before he was needed. The consultant working with Marinette today led him to a changing room and instructed that he get ready, all the clothes he would be wearing were already inside. "And you are sure that they will fit me? I'm sure that Marinette's fiancé and I have different measurements," Adrien inquired.

"The trousers are quite generic, as is the dress shirt, but M. Agreste made sure that the waistcoat would fit you," the consultant said. "Now if you'll excuse me, I will call you once I have confirmed with Mlle. Dupain-Cheng that she has picked out her dress."

Adrien nodded and locked the door behind her. Years of modeling meant he had a practiced hand at changing and in just a few minutes, he was giving himself a onceover in the mirror.

"She always did say green looked good on me," Adrien whispered, but he quickly shook that thought out of his head. This wasn't for him. This was for Marinette.

A knock on the door startled him out of his thoughts. "Mlle. Dupain-Cheng is ready, you may come out when you are ready." In a quieter voice probably not meant for his ears, Adrien heard her say, "She may be the quickest bride to find a dress-she's positively gushing about her current dress. No bridezilla here." At this, Adrien chuckled. He didn't think Marinette would have given any boutique consultant trouble, no matter the occasion; it just wasn't in her nature.

Adrien walked out of his dressing room and followed the consultant to the suite Marinette was in, from the open door, he could hear laughter-Alya's boisterous laughter, Sabine's motherly and caring laughter, and Marinette's clear as crystal laughter-that struck a chord in his heart.

* * *

"Hi, Marinette," Adrien said, glancing between the bride, her best friend, and her mother. The room became eerily quiet, and Adrien didn't like the unease and tension that his presence brought about.

"Adrien," Marinette breathed. Their eyes met and the moment ( _what moment?_ Adrien thought) was broken by the consultant coming in and asking the two of them to step onto the dais in front of the mirrors. Alya And Sabine made way for the two, and the consultant positioned the two, trying to get them to stand together-heck, even look at each other. Adrien could see the unease Marinette must be feeling, seeing as how she tried her hardest not to look at him again, and his own rapidly beating heart betrayed how he felt about the closing distance between the two.

Adrien decided that if they were going to remain friends, he would have to extend the olive branch first. "Marinette," he whispered, just the sound of her name seemed to give her chills. "This will be over sooner if you just bear with me a little." Did that seem too martyr-like? Did his words make it sound like he was taking all the blame for their relationship now? Adrien didn't care how it sounded, but eventually Marinette nodded and finally raised her eyes from the floor. Oh, if only his old photographer was here now! The picturesque couple that looked back from the mirror looked like a match made in heaven; Marinette had chosen the perfect colors to complement her skin tone and contrast her eyes, while the green of his waistcoat accented his own spring green eyes.

Caught up in his own day dreaming, Adrien didn't realize when he had turned around for the consultant to take a picture for his father, only catching the tail end of when the consultant said they could finally step down from the dais. Automatically, Adrien stepped off and offered a hand for Marinette, seeing her hesitate for just a second before taking his and stepping down herself. He noticed how her hand shook, and wanted nothing more in that instant to hold her and to comfort her.

But he'll settle for a nostalgic gesture instead. Adrien took her hand and brushed his lips over her knuckles, saying, "You look beautiful, Marinette, and congratulations again." His fervent wish left unspoken, but the unshed tears in her eyes conveyed exactly how she felt.

"Thank you, Adrien."

Turning towards the other two women, Adrien said, "Alya, Sabine, I would love to stay and chat, but I have prior engagements to attend to."

Alya nodded and gave Adrien a hug, saying, "Yeah, let's catch up soon, Adrien. All four of us."

"Please stop by the bakery soon, dear," Sabine said, sweeping Adrien into a warm hug. Even now, Sabine was the mother that he had longed for and was ever grateful for her kind and loving nature that would never turn anyone away.

"Of course." With a nod to them all and one last look at Marinette, Adrien left the room.

Shown back to the previous dressing room, Adrien slowly changed back into his casual clothes, examining the sample groom's wedding suit. A long time ago, green and pink were Adrien and Marinette's colors. But not now, not anymore. Even though he must not have been in the store for more than half an hour, the ordeal had been emotionally draining. Sighing, Adrien folded everything neatly-no need to make the workers' jobs any harder than it already was-and had just stepped out of the store when his phone gave a text chime.

Adrien noticed that it was a message from Alya, and he thought it may be something about having all four of them hang out. Opening the text, though, Adrien realized that the attached picture and message was that and more. When he and Marinette were posing for the consultant to take pictures of them, Alya had also taken her own pictures of the two. The attached picture showed the two standing shoulder to shoulder (or as short as Marinette was, perhaps shoulder to upper arm) with Marinette smiling but the smile not quite reaching her eyes and Adrien leaning towards Marinette, something that Alya and Nino had always pointed out to him in the past. Something about always being drawn to Marinette. And who could blame him for unconsciously doing that? If he was a sunflower, then Marinette was the sun that he would follow.

 _A picture for posterity,_ Alya had added. _It was nice seeing you again; let's meet up again for coffee._

Adrien decided that the photo was too nice to delete, so he saved it-for what other reason, he didn't know. Perhaps as something to remember the past by, or even as a reminder of things that were never meant to be. A drop of water fell on his phone, then another, before Adrien realized that his cheeks were wet. _Damn it_ , he thought as he wiped the wetness away his palms. _I can't cry over something like this. It just wasn't meant to be._

This was Marinette's wedding, and she deserved to be happy. But never had Adrien felt such frustration and sadness than when he had to take off that wedding suit. _That's not my wedding suit._

* * *

A/N: After months, I have finally finished Adrien's POV! I'm so sorry to have kept you guys waiting. I can spout some excuses, but we all know that life is life. Thank you for those who have bookmarked this from the beginning and those who have just read this right now.


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